


How We Learn To Be

by Dylawa



Series: Dylawa's Commissions [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch, Blackwatch Era, Blackwatch Jesse McCree, Blackwatch Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Families of Choice, Family, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Gen, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes is a Softie, Swearing, Team as Family, Young Ana Amari, Young Fareeha "Pharah" Amari, Young Jesse McCree, Young Reaper | Gabriel Reyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22540441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dylawa/pseuds/Dylawa
Summary: “Hell, don’t know how to take a compliment, huh?” Gabe chuckled. “I just gave you props forkillingmy men. Good people, with families, and I’m herecongratulatingyou.”The emphasis truly made Jesse stop and think.“... what in thehell.”A found family commission for an anonymous Tumblr user.
Series: Dylawa's Commissions [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1354300
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	How We Learn To Be

**Author's Note:**

> This is an ANCIENT commission I was asked to write, from an individual who wanted to remain anonymous at the time, but if that has changed TWO YEARS LATER... let me know :P

He was slouched in his chair, and watching the seconds on the clock to his left glitch by, hovering over the mirror. Digital was such a drastic change from the old thing with gears back in the Deadlock base-- the silence of it was unnerving. It had all the same hands and none of the noise.

“Technology’s runnin’ amuck,” his mother would always say. “Next you know, there’re gonna be digital  _ people _ , and no one ever gonna leave their houses then. Not even the blasted Omnics.  _ That’s  _ probably for the better.”

Being chained to the table with these handcuffs was getting old. Way old, way fast. And hearing that damn man waltz back in-- Gabriel, he’d told Jesse to call him, in a voice too calm, too reassuring for a man interrogating a prisoner-- hearing that damn man waltz back in made him want to start yanking at those handcuffs again.

And so Jesse McCree did. Once, at least. One hard tug.

“Doesn’t that hurt by now--”

“I already told you I ain’t talkin’ old man!” the younger man barked, southern accent thick like molasses.

“Oh I know. I just brought dinner, is all.”

Dinner? Jesse peered at the clock again. He hadn’t really been paying attention to the time, only watching the hands move. It really was getting late, then. He’d been in here a good few hours.

A plate of food was set before Jesse-- chicken and rice and green beans-- and then, his handcuffs were falling loose, electronically released. He stared down in shock, and didn’t really register the fork being pressed into his hand.

“Ten minutes,” Gabriel informed him, staring up at the clock on the wall himself. “Then the cuffs are coming back o--”

He dodged the swipe Jesse made at him, easy. But the kid didn’t barrel in for another, and Gabriel didn’t make a move to restrain him. They regarded each other quietly, one with mere curiosity, one with disdain.

“Why the hell you feedin’ me? What’s in it?”

Gabe chuckled once.

“Well, Amari made it, but uh…”

He stepped around Jesse, taking his own fork from his plate of food and inviting himself to Jesse’s. He took a bite of the green beans, first, and made his way around the plate.

“Looks like it’s got… green beans… and… rice… I think the rice was soaked in cheese… mm, that’s good. Oh, marinated chicken. Some sort of seasoning on top… I would have marinated it longer though--”

And then Jesse was snatching up the plate and snarling.

“Quit touchin’ my food!”

“Well, are you gonna eat it? Because, you know, us super soldier types… we get mighty hungry.”

And that ultra-friendly flash of teeth and rumbling laughter was enough to spur the cowboy into action, shoveling as much as he could into his mouth. Gabe snorted and laughed, and picked up his own plate as he walked back around to his seat at the other side of the table.

“I took these right out of Amari’s place, came straight here. She’s got a kid to feed-- I would hope she isn’t trying to poison her.”

And sure, Jesse knew about Ana Amari and Fareeha Amari-- the two had been on the cover of a magazine or two, though they primarily kept their life private from the public eye. But Jesse hadn’t ever really considered the fact that they were  _ human _ , or needed to  _ eat _ . That was strangely normal, and from what Jesse and the other Deadlock members had garnered about Overwatch, Overwatch was not  _ normal _ .

At that thought, Jesse slowed down, chewed a little more thoughtfully. “Why ain’t you just feedin’ me the swill from the mess hall?”

“Well, the mess hall food isn’t shit, but it’s not Ana’s cooking. Hell, it’s not my cooking, either, and I would have made you something if I could have. But, you know, I’ve been kinda busy. With you.”

Jesse narrowed his eyes. “That don’t really answer my question, Reyes.”

“Gabriel, please.” The Blackwatch Commander leaned back in his seat, then folded his arms. “Okay, McCree. I’m just gonna get right to the point. You took out five of my men, clean headshots, with nothing but a pistol, all in the span of a second and a half, bang bang  _ bang _ . I went back over the footage from the security cameras, and I had those two seconds on loop for five minutes trying to figure out what in the  _ hell  _ happened. I could only come to one conclusion…”

Gabriel leaned forward, and smirked.

“You’re talented as all hell.”

“Ain’t no such thing as ‘talent,’” Jesse scoffed. “You either get good at what you gotta, or you die. That’s how it is in Deadlock. Ain’t no room for ‘talent’. You gotta know what you’re doing.”

“Hell, don’t know how to take a compliment, huh?” Gabe chuckled. “I just gave you props for  _ killing  _ my men. Good people, with families, and I’m here  _ congratulating  _ you.”

The emphasis truly made Jesse stop and think.

“... what in the  _ hell _ .”

“Yeah, there you go.” Gabe jammed his fork into his chicken. “So listen up. Regardless of how  _ talented  _ you are-- and you’re talented, don’t deny it-- regardless of how talented you are, the fact of the matter is you still killed five men. There’s no way in hell you’re not going to see years, if not life, in prison. You’re only seventeen; I don’t want to see that happen to you. You’re a bright kid. So I asked around, pulled some strings… I’ve got you an alternative.”

“What? You ain’t gonna ask me no more shit ‘bout Deadlock?”

“Yeah no, we got Samuel to talk, he told us everything we needed to hear.”

“Fuckin’ Sam.”

“Ooh, strong mouth.”

Jesse slouched down and sulked. “He wasn’t supposed to say shit.”

“Yeah, well we offered him the same thing I’m offering you, even though you ‘didn’t say shit’.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that, then?”

Gabe snickered, and took a sip of water from a water bottle that had been left in the room from the last time he’d been in there. When he set it down, he spoke as casually as if explaining addition and subtraction.

“I’m gonna get you a place in Blackwatch, under my command. No jail time, no court bullshit, no fines, no letters of apology-- unless you want to. Join Blackwatch, and your slate’s wiped clean. Join Blackwatch, serve your time that way, and you’ll never have to see metal bars.”

Jesse pursed his lips. “And what the hell’s in it for you, then?”

“Your skills on my team, and a clean conscience of knowing I didn’t put a kid who’s on the cusp of finally reaching adulthood in prison for life. Seriously, that’d be a real bummer for both of us.”

“Ha! You act like you actually give a damn!”

Gabriel’s expression did not change. If anything, he looked annoyed at the cowboy’s assumption.

“... Oh. Oh you’re serious. You’re serious, right?”

That got a snort out of Gabe. “I had to pull some serious ropes for this to happen at all, so are you in? Or would you rather pay the time for the crime the normal way.”

Jesse arched an eyebrow. “... So… you’re  _ not  _ just gonna let me walk out of here.”

A beat.

“Alright, alright, I’ll join your stupid secret team.”

“Hey, that’s the spirit.” Gabriel beamed, standing up quickly. “I’ll get your papers, and we’ll get Angela in here to have a look at you for immunizations and vaccines.”

He patted Jesse a touch roughly on the shoulder as he walked out.

“Ow!”

“Welcome to the team, McCree.”

* * *

The timer began, counting down from five. Ten gunshots rang out in the firing range-- six from a pistol, four from a sniper rifle. Nine targets went down, and chapped lips blew away at the smoke from the barrel of the pistol.

“Well, I’m impressed.” Ana sat up straight, blowing a stray strand of hair away from her head. “Did Reyes send you here just to show me up?”

“Hey now, I wouldn’t do that to a lady.” Jesse smirked, and reloaded his clip casually. “All Gabe wanted from me was to brush up on my skills. Not to mention, I think the last person I wanna piss off is  _ Ana Amari _ .”

“Smart boy.”

Jesse’s hat was shoved down his head and covered his eyes. The boy grumbled and shoved it back up, glaring at the woman next to him. She, in turn, only smirked.

“So, how do you do it, then?” Ana inquired, resting her chin on the butt of her rifle. “Six straight headshots in two seconds?  _ I’m  _ the one with the sniper rifle; what you do is practically impossible.”

Jesse merely shrugged. “I, uh… I dunno. I just kinda… it’s not like I get mad? It’s like when you… shit, it’s like, uh, I just… take a second to think about, you know, where everyone’s gonna be, where they’re goin’, you gotta  _ think like _ who you’re fighting, not just  _ about  _ them. And then you just… shoot, I guess. It ain’t really easy to explain, but it took me a long time to really learn it, and learn it well. I still miss sometimes.”

“But the fact that you can do it at all is fantastic on its own; Gabriel was right about you. And now that I’m seeing it for myself… your really are quite impressive.”

“Hey now, don’t you go butterin’ me up. What you want from me, lady?”

Ana leaned back, and snickered. “I suppose they didn’t teach you to take compliments without reason in Deadlock.”

“The only reason somebody has to sweet-talk you is if they want something from you.”

“Well, I can promise you it isn’t that way here. Compliments are given freely, for the sake of being kind. And after everything you’ve had to put up with, you absolutely deserve kindness, McCree.”

Jesse pursed his lips, and stared at Ana.

“... Yeah. Whatchu want.”

But the sniper just laughed kindly, and knocked Jesse’s hat askew once more.

“Where’s your mother, boy?”

“I dunno, left home at fifteen ‘n she didn’t do shit.”

“An unfortunately common story,” Ana lamented, shaking her head. “Particularly these days. Parents are so tired from the Crisis, they give up long before their time with the rowdier ones.”

“How the hell ain’t you given up? I know about Fareeha, a little. From them magazines, you know.”

“I wasn’t raised to be a quitter.” She scoffed, and tossed her head to the side to bat away some stray strands of hair. “Besides, if I don’t do it… no one will.”

Jesse cringed, and looked back down the range. Mr. Amari, wherever he was, hadn’t been in the picture for a while, as far as Jesse knew. Which meant giving up on Fareeha meant more than just letting her walk away. She was a child; she couldn’t. Giving up on Fareeha meant foster care, and Jesse had been through that enough himself.

Luckily, Ana elected to change the subject before McCree could get too lost in his thoughts.

“How many missions have you been on, McCree?”

“Twelve, ma’am.”

“Mmm, not bad, for a new recruit. Gabriel must have a lot of faith in your skills.”

“He better well be usin’ me, after everything he did to keep me out of bars and how hard the shithead pushes me. What’d be the point if he went through all that shit just to keep me here cleanin’ the shit from the walls?”

“You do have a point.” The woman nodded sagely. “But at the same time, you’re still fairly young. According to your file, you don’t turn eighteen for another few months, so you’re, in all technical definition, still a child. And that means only one thing.”

“Well hold on a tick--”

“It  _ means _ , as resident mother on base… I’m instinctually obligated to feed you.”

The cowboy stopped short, snapping his mouth shut, before abruptly speaking up again.

“You’re  _ what now-- _ ”

“The only condition is that you arrive at 6:30  _ sharp  _ to retrieve your plate. Should you be a minute later, the door will be locked, and you will be not let in, as I will be enjoying my meal with my daughter. There are  _ no  _ interruptions at dinnertime.”

“Hey, wait just a--”

But Ana was already standing. She knocked Jesse’s hat clean off of his head as she walked out of the gun range, leaving him with a farewell in a foreign tongue and a whistling tune.

* * *

According to his wristwatch (which Gabriel had given him-- “Keep better track of time, kid-- training doesn’t wait for anyone, but a lecture from me? Hell yeah it does.”) it was 6:24. So he was a little early (or maybe late? It’d been a week and a half since he’d last spoken to Ana) so what? So what, he was a little early-- she’d let him in, right? It wasn’t a big deal, and he wasn’t going to cause a fuss about having to wait five or ten minutes to eat.

But good hell, if he had to eat another spicy chicken sandwich, he was going to kill everyone in Blackwatch, and then himself.

Jesse cringed as he knocked on the door, the sound of his own knuckles loud to his ears in the hall. He glanced around nervously-- what would others think, seeing Jesse McCree knocking at Ana Amari’s door?-- and tried to act natural despite his misgivings about the whole situation.

When the door opened, initially, he didn’t see anybody. He tilted his head to peer inside, before he was kicked in the shin by an unknown force.

“Ow, what in the--”

And when Jesse looked down, there was Fareeha Amari, a pout on her lips and a scowl on her face.

“It’s rude to peek,” she scolded him with a folding of her arms.

“Well hell, I didn’t even see--”

“It’s rude to  _ swear _ .”

Jesse stopped mid-sentence, mouth flapping noiselessly. He forced up a smile at hearing pots clanging in the kitchen in the small living space, knowing that Ana was probably listening.

“Well now, my apologies, little lady. Bad habits die hard. Er… can I talk to Ana?”

“I know you’re here for dinner,” the little girl piped up again, ignoring Jesse’s question. She stepped to one side, and let the door open all the way. Cautiously, the cowboy entered, and Fareeha darted ahead, voice vibrating with the pounding of her feet.

“Moooommmmm, Jesse’s here!”

“Well, don’t leave him alone! Bring him into the kitchen! We’re going to be eating soon, and our guest should feel at home.”

_ ‘Guest _ . What an odd word to associate with me,’ was Jesse’s first thought. And then he thought…

‘ _ Guest _ . Not prisoner, not ingrate, not useless bump on a log.  _ Guest _ .’

And so he worked up a smile, straightened out his shirt, and followed Fareeha into the kitchen with renewed glee.

Ana stood at the stove, stirring a pot of… something. Beef Stroganoff, it looked like; he couldn’t be completely certain until he had his own plate. Off to the side was a cookie sheet of rolls, and a bowl of salad. The smell of the freshly-baked bread was heavenly on the cowboy’s senses, and half of the nervous tension left his body once he entered the room.

“Fareeha,” Ana instructed, “be a dear and set out plates, cups, and silverware.”

“Yes, Mama.” The young girl nodded, and rushed to the cupboards at her mother’s side. The woman in question glanced up from her work and smiled sweetly Jesse’s direction.

“Well now,” she chuckled. “It seems you’ve finally managed to wander your way yonder. That’s what they say, right?”

“Well, uh, ‘yonder’ usually refers to any location that ain’t where we currently stand, but I suppose it works.” Jesse shrugged, standing in the doorway sheepishly. The kitchen was so clean, white and black and spotless. There weren’t food wrappers or containers just laying around, no mice scuttling along the counters, and yeah, he’d had his fair share of meals in the mess hall, but he hadn’t actually been in a  _ kitchen  _ until now.

“You can take a seat, you do know, I hope.”

Jesse was torn from his musings by the encouraging, motherly voice, and he nodded as he sat at the table. At the same moment, Fareeha walked over with four plates and cups stacked carefully, and she began laying them out at the kitchen table.

“Uh… so who else is joining us, then?” Jesse asked cautiously.

“That would be Gabriel, dear boy.”

Jesse’s stomach sank. Gabe wasn’t  _ bad _ , not at all; they got along pretty well, in fact. He was a hardass in training and on missions, but he was a pal outside. It was more the fact that, well, that was his  _ boss _ . Even when they weren’t on missions, Jesse still treaded carefully. This guy had given him a second chance at life, and he was gonna be damned before he spoke about any grievances he may have had with Gabe with the guy actually present.

Today, in particular, had been rough. Which had been the exact reason he had come to Ana’s abode for dinner.

In just that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Gabey!” Fareeha shouted, setting down the silverware she’d brought over with a clatter and rushing to answer the call.

“Now now, lower your voice!”

Just a minute later, Fareeha ran back around the corner, and set back to preparing the table. In that same moment, Gabriel walked around the corner himself, straightening up his hoodie and sniffling.

“Hey, all,” he greeted them, smirking and stuffing his hands in his pockets. His sights set on Jesse as he walked around to sit down, and he chose the spot next to him. “Hey, kid.”

“Gabe.” He offered up a terse nod to his boss, and a nervous smile. He wasn’t expecting the hand slapping down on the brim of his hat, causing it to fall over his eyes. “Hell! What is it with y’all n’ messin’ with my hat!?”

“Language!” Fareeha gasped, pointing her fork at the cowboy.

“Jesse is a grown man, Fareeha; he can say what he wants, within  _ reason _ .”

“But  _ mama _ \--”

“ _ Alnasr qalilana hadyat!  _ You’re still young; talk to me about it again when you are thirteen.”

Jesse had to hide his laughing behind his hand, as did Gabriel. Fareeha scowled at the both of them, folding her arms and slumping back in her seat.

“Any missions today, Gabriel?” Ana inquired. “Interrogations?”

“Uh, one Omnic.” Gabe shrugged, circling his finger around the rim of his empty cup. “Just trying to find out what they know about a rumored Omnium heist that’s like smoke between our fingers. It’s getting frustrating.”

“Man, how come I never get to be a part of any the interrogations?” Now it was Jesse’s turn to scowl, but he did his best not to make eye contact with Gabe.

“Because your heart’s too good for that kind of thing. We need more light-hearted folk in Blackwatch, Jess. Besides, I’m not sure you’d really be able to handle the kind of shit we get up to. You’ve had your fair share of rough times, but sometimes, being on the other end of things isn’t as nice as it sounds.”

And when Jesse did look up at Gabriel, there was a different kind of look in his commander’s eyes. Something distant, and vaguely horrified. Self reflective in a cold and self-depreciating way.

Luckily, the man was shaking out of it by the food finally being brought over to the table. Everyone perked up immediately-- Fareeha’s scowl vanished, Gabe returned to the room, and Jesse straightened his hat enthusiastically.

“Well, tonight’s meal is tuna fish casserole, with salad as a side, and rolls,” Ana informed them all. “I am well aware that it does not  _ look  _ like a casserole, but that is what it is. You are more than welcome to help yourselves to however much you want.”

Quicker than lightning, Fareeha’s hand shot out first, taking hold of the spoon in the pot and scooping a generous portion onto her own plate. Gabe, on the other hand, went for the salad, and Ana went to fill a pitcher of water.

“And what about you, Jessie?”

“Me?”

“Yes, what did your day consist of?”

“Uh, well… trained, I guess. I dunno, there wasn’t much  _ to  _ do.”

“Now now,” Gabe laughed, “it isn’t nice to lie or downplay things.”

Jesse furrowed his brow over at Gabriel. Shit. The man was on to him.

Well. There was no point in keeping quiet now. 

“But Gabe here, he always makes sure there’s somethin’ to keep us Blackwatch lackeys busy, so of course after that I was runnin’  _ extra _ laps, and then I was takin’ reports to Morrison.”

“Just doing my job,” the Blackwatch Commander shrugged in response. And his grin was infuriating. But a moment later, his expression shifted into something apologetic. “I know sometimes it’s a lot, but Petras has eyes on me like a hawk. More so than Morrison, ‘cuz that guy? Trained like a dog. Follows orders to a T. He’d jump off a bridge if the order came through. I mean, if you’ve got a problem with how I do things, you can always talk to Petras, or Jack.”

Ana moved to interrupt, but Jesse continued. “Aw hell, Gabe, it ain’t I got a problem with it! I just… I feel like maybe you forget what it’s like to be a recruit sometimes. Feels like you get pushed around all the time for no good reason. There’s no… sympathy, I guess.”

The boy deflated, and picked up and stared at his fork.

“I dunno… guess I’m just bitchin’ over nothing.”

“Language,” Fareeha muttered.

There was a pause in conversation, and though it was brief, it washed over the table like black ink.

“It’s not nothing,” Gabriel replied sternly, and the ink evaporated. “If there’s something that’s bothering you, it’s not nothing. It means something to you, and so it means something to me. But if you want, we can have a more in-depth conversation after dinner; I don’t want to ruin Ana’s lovely, lovely meal here, and I am a  _ bitch  _ for tuna.”

“ _ Language! _ ” Ana and Fareeha hissed simultaneously.

Jesse couldn’t help but snort.

“And after dinner,” Ana stated, “Jesse, if you could be a dear and help Fareeha put up her Christmas tree, I’m sure she would greatly appreciate it.”

“Christmas tree?” He looked at the young girl in confusion.

“Christmas tree! For Christmas!” Fareeha shoveled casserole into her mouth. “Duh!”

His mouth flapped in confusion, but one stern look from Ana prevented him from further questioning the young girl.

“Uh… sure. I can help.”

“Yay!”

* * *

“So?”

Gabe knocked his beer against the side of Jesse’s head. The younger man scowled and rubbed where the bottle had collided, and nursed his own cream soda.

“So what?”

“So you wanna continue our dinner conversation now that Ana’s putting Fareeha to bed?”

Jesse pursed his lips, and looked over the edge of the balcony into the city skyline. “I mean, hell, I think I said everything that was on my chest.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more to say about it, and I’ve got some questions about it, if you’d let me talk a little more about it.”

Jesse huffed, and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay, here comes the lecture.”

“Nope. No lecture.”

Gabe took a swig of his alcohol, let the bottle hang limp from his fingers.

“Just… wondering if I really come across as that emotionless in training, at work. All that. You said something about no sympathy. That I forget what it was once like. Do I really come off like that?”

Jesse shrunk away under Gabriel’s intense stare. He couldn’t exactly tell what his boss was thinking, only that he was expecting an answer, and a truthful one.

“I mean… well, yeah. I mean, I think you’ve been doing this shit for so long, you just… expect everyone else to be able to do it, too. And with all the super soldier shit--”

“We don’t talk about SEP,” Gabe suddenly snapped, tearing his eyes away from Jesse. He calmed himself quickly enough, however, inhaling and exhaling slowly. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe SEP changed the way I see people. I try not to but there are days where I wonder, ‘why can’t other people do this the way I can?’ And I try not to.”

The Blackwatch Commander sighed, draped himself over the railing.

“... yeah. Maybe I have forgotten. I mean, I can’t go easier on you guys, if that’s what the point of this is, but…”

“Nah, that’s… I just wanted… I dunno, I guess I just wanted to know if we… mattered to you. Like if what happens to us is--”

“You’re one of the most important people in my life, dumbass.”

_ That  _ caused Jesse to whip his head up to stare at Gabriel. His expression was sincere and vulnerable.

“Jesse… look, I know that the boss/employee dynamic… it’s always shit. It’s always gonna be tough. But damn it, kid, I  _ do  _ care about you. That’s  _ part  _ of why I push you so hard, besides being blind about your own limits. I want you to be ready. You’ve been on a couple missions already, and that’s part of the training, but a lot of it’s gotta happen here. Here, where you’re safe.”

Gabriel ran a hand down his face and stared down at his beard.

“Shit, this is… I wasn’t-- I’m not good at the pep-talk thing. That’s Jack’s forte. Just… listen. You’re a little shit, and you don’t follow orders all that great, but despite all that… you’ve grown on me. And I don’t want to see anything happen to you. Which is why I need you to train hard, know the enemy. But now I know that I was pushing for too much too quick without really thinking about the consequences. I’ll be better.”

Gabe threw back his bottle again, before wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. He offered up Jesse a gentle smirk.

“And that was more me rambling than us actually  _ talking _ , but uh… I hope maybe I got through to you the way you got through to me on all this.”

Jesse eyed Gabriel, for a moment, before breaking into a small fit of chuckles.

“You sound like a nervous little kid,” he pointed out, even as his own breath shook lightly. And when he moved to rub at his eyes, suddenly teary, Gabriel slowly set down his bottle, and rubbed at Jesse’s back for a moment or two.

“I mean… I think you and I are more alike than we think, sometimes.”

“In the good ways, or the bad ways?”

“Eh. I leave that up to you.”

In that moment, Ana emerged from inside, in a light robe and arms folded.

“Fareeha’s finally settled down,” the woman sighed, leaning against the wall. “What have you two been talking about?”

“Absolutely  _ nothing _ ,” Gabe barked, but there was no bite to it.

“Oh! So you’re emotional again! I see the quiver of your lip. Finally sorted your problems, then?”

“Be quiet!”

Ana giggled and shook her head, coming to stand on the other side of Jesse.

“You’ll be coming to dinner next week too I hope, Jesse? We would be more than delighted to have you.”

The cowboy shrugged nonchalantly, though excited energy hid in the motion. Another chance to hang out with some of the most selfless, kind people he’d ever met? Why in the world would he refuse?

“Yeah. Sure. I don’t see why not.”

“That’s the spirit.” Gabe clapped him on the back, and Jesse’s hat nearly flew off of his head and into the dark abyss of the night below.

“Damn it, Gabe!”

The Blackwatch Commander and the sniper only laughed in response, and a warm, comforted feeling settled deep in Jesse’s heart. A feeling of belonging, and peace. A feeling of home.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: <http://dylawa.tumblr.com/>
> 
> Twitter: <https://twitter.com/dylawa>
> 
> Pillowfort: <https://www.pillowfort.io/Dylawa>
> 
> Instagram: <https://www.instagram.com/dylawa_0/>


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